Shi Mu had little to pack. She stuffed a few clothes into her bag, then pulled a dusty box from beneath the bed.
The box contained her grandfather's belongings—books, talismans, and incense burners. She wiped off the dust, unlocked it, and sorted through its contents: manuals on Qimen-Dunjia divination, the Record of Spiritual Talismans, the Art of Exorcism, and tools for ghost-repelling rituals.
She packed them all.
Without looking back, she walked away from the home that had never truly accepted her.
After checking into a hotel, she rolled on the soft bed, took a hot shower, and finally allowed herself a moment of comfort.
Then she opened her mouth and said, "Hey, can you give me Fu Yunshen's information?"
System: [Do you want to use the system search function?]
"Yes."
System: [Search requires 100 Brotherhood Points.]
Shi Mu's eyes flew open. "Are you kidding me again? I haven't even touched Fu Yunshen's hand. Where am I supposed to get brotherhood points?"
System: [Loan available. Interest rate: 10%.]
"…Are you a bandit or a system?! If you push me, I'll die and drag you with me!"
Silence.
System: [Oh.]
"…Just tell me—will you give me the loan or not?"
System: [Confirmed. Loan issued.]
A document appeared before her eyes, filled with detailed information about Fu Yunshen.
The original comic had only mentioned that he killed someone at age ten and became a demon after his brother's death. But this was the full story.
Fu Yunshen and Fu Yunrui were fraternal twins. Both could see spirits. But while Fu Yunrui was brilliant and kind, Fu Yunshen was volatile and neglected by their father, Fu Qian. After their parents divorced, Fu Yunshen lived with his abusive stepmother. Eventually, in a moment of self-defense, he killed her.
Because he was under fourteen, he wasn't charged. But the media vilified him. Neighbors feared him. Classmates shunned him. Even worse, his stepmother became a vengeful ghost, haunting him every night.
At thirteen, his uncle brought him to Lingcheng and enrolled him at Yingnan High School.
The system also showed a blurred photo.
"What's with the mosaic?" Shi Mu asked.
System: [Mosaic will be removed once you reach your mission goal.]
"…If I meet him in real life, do you think I'll care about a blurry photo?"
Still, without the system's help, she wouldn't be able to find him at all.
She searched online. Articles popped up:
"Ten-Year-Old Boy Kills Stepmother in Rage"
"Boy from Broken Family Turns Murderer"
"Without Discipline, He Became a Devil"
The headlines were exaggerated and cruel. His photos were few and all blurry.
She also looked up Yingnan High School.
Located at the edge of Lingcheng, the school catered to rich students whose parents had given up on them. It was a semi-closed school known for wealth, fights, and scandal.
Shi Mu sighed.
If she wanted to meet Fu Yunshen, she had to get into that school.
But—her current identity wouldn't work.
His mother neglected him. His stepmother tortured him. He saw her cheating repeatedly. All of it left him with deep trauma and a hatred of women. If Shi Mu approached him openly, she'd only be rejected—or worse.